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Pollination help for honey crisp apple tree #872558

Asked June 11, 2024, 9:24 AM EDT

Hello. I have a small backyard planting area (20ft x 30ft) that I just planted two honey crisp apple trees. They are doing well. I do have a Louisa Crabapple nearby (15 ft) away for pollination help. My question is about a dwarf lilac also near there. It has never really done that well for some reason so I'm considering replacing it. In the photo I circled the lilac. Are there some other dwarf lilac shrubs that can help with pollination of the apple trees or other schrubs? I read where a Korean lilac will serve this purpose, or Ninebark, but could you recommend other species that have spring blooms to help with cross pollination of honey crisp apple trees? It needs to be no more than 5 ft diameter at a mature width. Thanks! Tom Hogan, Dubuque Iowa

Dubuque County Iowa

Expert Response

Hi Tom, I am sharing your question with our horticulturalist for added information and will reply with that information when it is received.  What is important for pollination is that the crabapple and whatever other blooming plants are in the area, bloom at the same time as the honey crisp apples.  Thanks for your question.  More info to come.


Marlene R Geiger| Human Sciences

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

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Question #0142476 has been assigned to you by SYSTEM (Auto Assignment)

Pollination help for honey crisp apple tree

Hello. I have a small backyard planting area (20ft x 30ft) that I just planted two honey crisp apple trees. They are doing well. I do have a Louisa Crabapple nearby (15 ft) away for pollination help. My question is about a dwarf lilac also near there. It has never really done that well for some reason so I'm considering replacing it. In the photo I circled the lilac. Are there some other dwarf lilac shrubs that can help with pollination of the apple trees or other schrubs? I read where a Korean lilac will serve this purpose, or Ninebark, but could you recommend other species that have spring blooms to help with cross pollination of honey crisp apple trees? It needs to be no more than 5 ft diameter at a mature width. Thanks! Tom Hogan, Dubuque Iowa

From: thogan
Submitted: 06/11/2024 9:24 AM


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Hi Tom, I am sharing your question with our horticulturalist for added information and will reply with that information when it is received.  What is important for pollination is that the crabapple and whatever other blooming plants are in the area, bloom at the same time as the honey crisp apples.  Thanks for your question.  More info to come.


Marlene R Geiger| Human Sciences

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

AnswerLine

1250 Lagomarcino Hall, 901 Stange Road, Ames, IA, 50011-1122 

<personal data hidden>

<personal data hidden> Iowa State University

<personal data hidden> Minnesota

<personal data hidden> local

www.extension.iastate.edu

 

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach wordmark

 

 


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From: ask=<personal data hidden> <ask=<personal data hidden>> on behalf of Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2024 8:24 AM
To: Answer Line <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Question assigned to you (#0142476)
 

Hi Answer,

Question #0142476 has been assigned to you by SYSTEM (Auto Assignment)

Pollination help for honey crisp apple tree

Hello. I have a small backyard planting area (20ft x 30ft) that I just planted two honey crisp apple trees. They are doing well. I do have a Louisa Crabapple nearby (15 ft) away for pollination help. My question is about a dwarf lilac also near there. It has never really done that well for some reason so I'm considering replacing it. In the photo I circled the lilac. Are there some other dwarf lilac shrubs that can help with pollination of the apple trees or other schrubs? I read where a Korean lilac will serve this purpose, or Ninebark, but could you recommend other species that have spring blooms to help with cross pollination of honey crisp apple trees? It needs to be no more than 5 ft diameter at a mature width. Thanks! Tom Hogan, Dubuque Iowa

From: thogan
Submitted: 06/11/2024 9:24 AM


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Hi Tom, I am sharing your question with our horticulturalist for added information and will reply with that information when it is received. What is important for pollination is that the crabapple and whatever other blooming plants are in the area, bloom at the same time as the honey crisp apples. Thanks for your question. More info to come.

Thanks very much.  I greatly appreciate your input and guidance.  I was digging more into this and reached out the nursery where we purchased the trees and it looks like this guide indicates that these honeycrisp are considered an early midseason.  My Louisa Crabapple is near there but by thinking was to have something additional in the space to also provide some pollination assistance.  Again, thank you!

Tom Hogan

 

From: ask=<personal data hidden> <ask=<personal data hidden>> on behalf of Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 9:00
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To: Thomas Hogan <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: Pollination help for honey crisp apple tree (#0142476)

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The Question Asker Replied June 11, 2024, 10:50 AM EDT

Any
plant that blooms at the same time as the honeycrip apple would help to
lure more pollinators to the area and would help pollinate the
honeycrisp apple. These other species do not directly help pollinate
the apple tree. Instead they create a favorable/attractive environment
for pollinators to forage. (More flowers = more pollinators; more
pollinators = more pollination – on all plants).




Honeycrisp
apples do need another apple variety in the area to cross pollinate
with to get good fruit set. More pollinators in the area would
definitely help with that cross pollination, but there needs to be
another apple cultivar in the area. The link below is a list of apples
that can be grown in Iowa. Any of the apples with the same bloom time
as honeycrisp (mid-season) could be used for cross pollination. Be sure
that apple tree is within 50-100 feet – this could also be a neighbors
apple or crabapple if it blooms at the same time.


https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/apple-varieties-and-their-uses




Some
shrubs that typically bloom around the same time as a honeycrisp apple
and therefore would attract more pollinators to the area, are listed
below.





The
bloom time every year may not align, but in general these plants bloom
around the same time. Some of them in the list are wider than 5 feet,
but they may have narrow cultivars available (or you may have another
location you can put one).



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